


In Your Head

by leejooheons



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Build, basically a work inspired by Warm Bodies, humans are called "souls" zombies are "flesh eaters", the rest of the Monsta's show up at later points, there's an org called The Security... they're sketch...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:21:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25775782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leejooheons/pseuds/leejooheons
Summary: That night, Shownu tossed and turned for several hours unable to sleep. His mind flipped through his encounter with the pink-hairedflesh eaternamed Hyungwon. Couldn't get the way his face had been filled with panic, how his voice sounded like a croak, and how he hadn't attacked him immediately, out of his mind. In all the years he had lived and survived on his own, he couldn't have imagined such things. Every singleflesh eaterhe’d come across had had thirst displayed profusely in their dead eyes. They had hungrily run toward him without a word spoken and hadn't appeared terrified."I don't eatsouls."His mind repeated those words over and over again. How would that even be possible? Couldflesh eatersactually have a soul? Could they be asoulthemselves? That sounded unlikely to him, he had so many questions to ask and wanted answers to all of them.At some point, his body grew tired of thoughts and he managed to fall asleep. He had a long and strange day ahead of him tomorrow. He'd meet up and learn about Hyungwon’s pack very soon.
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Son Hyunwoo | Shownu
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	In Your Head

**Author's Note:**

> Shownu saying that in a zombie apocalypse Hyungwon would be his zombie friend threw me into a huge spiral and I had to write my feelings away... Shownu, your big brain. Thank you.
> 
> Excuse (me I'm walkin' like Zombie) the errors. I haven't written in like... 6 years... whoa. What is grammar? Past tense? Sentence structure? Idk. I'm just here for a nice Hyungnu time!! 
> 
> Title is from "Zombies" by The Cranberries because yes, I am cheesy.

The first time Shownu met the pink-haired _flesh eater _, he hadn't known what to do. He'd just stood there frozen. It wasn’t that he'd been cornered or that he didn’t have the resources to defend himself, Shownu prepared thoroughly for any scenario. He carried ammunition, shields, and wore his steel-toed boots no matter what. He just hadn't expected to become aware of a different _type_ that day.__

____

____

__Shownu had lived through the zombie apocalypse for three years now, which had given him all the time in the world to learn so many skills and crafts. He’d built his own home out of scraps from a junkyard that had been, luckily, _flesh eater free_. He’d also found a small military base that had all the ammunition he could have ever dreamt of. He'd been immensely fortunate that those locations weren’t riddled with them. He ventured out in search for parts to prevent leaks on his roof, or if he felt he required more protection, but his curiosity would get the best of him and he'd inevitably come home with new items._ _

__Truthfully, those places never had anyone there due to the possibility of crowds. For example, if a group of _souls_ gathered near an area that wasn’t marked or guarded by _The Security_ , the chances of an attack were high. However, a pack of _flesh eaters_ didn’t care if only one _soul_ roamed around a few yards away from them. Unless provoked, of course. Or a one-on-one encounter. Most had grown smart enough to figure out that from a single _soul_ , about two of them could eat and be satiated. Usually, packs consisted of more than three, rarely were duos spotted, as the majority of souls stuck together. In the instance where a soul had the misfortune of being surrounded by three very dumb flesh eaters, the one that hadn't gotten to eat would fight with the others. This caused a huge commotion because, for whatever reason, they liked to fight within themselves. When a pack began to fight, more packs came along and joined in, thus a crowd formed. Shownu had once witnessed a crowd as he'd hiked up a mountain. They ripped each other's limbs off and screamed bloody murder, even though they were already far from gone. It hadn't been a pretty sight. Yet, packs didn't fight when there were multiple groups of souls gathered, six of them could eat one soul. Shownu didn't understand it too well. Flesh eater tendencies were a mystery to all._ _

__He had found humor in it, though. The thought of the living dead capable of those thoughts, or being able to remain full for a while made him chuckle. But after he'd met the pink-haired _flesh eater_ his opinion changed completely._ _

__It had been like any other day for him. He'd been out in the middle of the field in front of his home, a book in hand, sprawled on a thin blanket he always had around. He trimmed the grass frequently because he loved to lay on it. Loved the way he felt somewhat cushioned. Loved the aroma it gave off. He could relax there for hours with a beer by the side that he'd brewed._ _

__If Shownu had to describe himself as either a dog or a cat, he’d go with a cat. He required his daily doses of sunlight, didn’t listen to orders, appreciated being alone, and loved to climb anything. He’d learned early on that _flesh eaters_ were incredibly slow at everything they did. They were decent runners, but when they had to climb a tree, or fence, or any elevated surface, they couldn't manage it._ _

__He also loved to swim. Thankfully, his dear parents had signed him up for lessons as a child. He’d swam away expertly across ponds, lakes, and rivers from flesh eaters that pursued him. He'd never had to shoot a gun or use his machete on one. In those three years, he hadn't fought once. He had always chosen to escape._ _

__There wasn’t a soul in the region he resided in that hadn't been observed by _The Security_ at one point or another. Shownu had been recruited early on in its formation and they had even offered him a leadership position due to his resourcefulness and overall survival instincts. They were an organization that refused to listen to their people, cared only about valuable items, and would kill _souls_ for arbitrary reasons. There were rumors that they possessed a potential cure to the virus that had infected so many human beings, but it seemed as though they hid that well from everyone. He had no interest in being part of all of that evil and declined immediately. He'd left the Chief in shock, gape-mouthed, unable to understand why on Earth he'd turned down the type of protection and life they offered. He hadn’t given a response either, simply smiled and walked away. They couldn't force him to do anything._ _

__They watched him regularly, and _The Security_ hadn’t made it much of a secret anyway. About once a week, a group of souls biked to his home and circled around it for a couple of minutes. Whenever they arrived and Shownu happened to be outside, he ignored them and pretended they weren’t there. He’d tend to his small—but growing—garden, he’d inspect his rainwater roof for debris and progress, or he’d snooze with his back rested on his favorite tree, his face covered by his sun hat. They'd give up and leave after some time, always hopeful Shownu would speak up and join them. They wished._ _

__As Shownu finished up the chapter in the book, his stomach growled loudly. He sighed and checked his watch. Quarter to one, lunch time._ _

__He got up, folded his blanket neatly, and headed to the back of his home to grab a few vegetables from his kitchen garden. He craved carrots, and thankfully, the Spring had brought a lot of rain. He'd planted carrots, kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, eggplants, radishes, and lettuce a long time ago and kept up with them religiously. He'd found so much produce at an abandoned farmer's market and thanked his lucky stars over how blessed he had always been for the quality of the items he'd found so far. He cherished his harvest more than anything, he prided himself deeply over it._ _

__He placed the blanket, book, and backpack he carried without fail on a stool he had out in the back. He would sit there from time to time to admire all that surrounded him. He'd view his kitchen garden, and flower garden that he also tended to a little further away._ _

__Shownu had all the time in the world. He had read countless books and had taken up quite a few hobbies. He hated boredom most of all. Hated not having anything to do. Hated not having a purpose. Gardening had become a favorite of his. He savored the feel of his hands in the dirt—although he wore gloves—and liked to know that living organisms were all around him. It made him _almost_ at peace._ _

__He crouched down and searched for which carrots looked best. He glanced at the lettuce on the other side of his garden. How he longed for it to be cooler and for his cabbages to grow, he couldn’t wait to make his favorite cabbage soup that warmed him up like nothing else. For now, he would have to be content with lettuce._ _

__Just as his gaze returned to the carrots, a sudden movement captured his attention. A pink dot appeared in the corner of his eye and he seized up._ _

__That could not have been _The Security_. It just couldn't have, they'd never snuck up on him like that._ _

__He crouched even further in the garden, got to his hands and knees and made his way back to the stool. His heart pounded as he reached for his backpack where he had his ammunition, safety kits, snacks, books, and other things piled inside. He opened the front pocket and pulled out a pair of binoculars he’d also found at the military base._ _

__The figure somewhat sat in his flower garden. He noticed the back of its head moved, focused on the flowers. In all the days he’d spent there, he’d never had an encounter with another _soul_ or _flesh eater_. No one had invaded his home. And no one had just casually chilled in his garden. In his very precious and beautiful garden. He’d lived _almost_ peacefully and hadn't felt any real fear or danger up until that point. _Why now?_ he thought._ _

__He placed the binoculars back in the front pocket, retrieved his gun, and took the safety off. Shownu felt like Snake from Metal Gear as he silently inched toward the intruder, the way the long grass covered him up._ _

__Once he'd made it about 50 yards from them, he stood up. He got into a comfortable position to shoot and took a deep breath._ _

__“Hey!” he yelled. He startled himself at how loud that'd come out. It had a growl to it. He hadn’t noticed how much anger had built up in him._ _

__The figure jolted and turned around. It appeared to be a young man. Slowly, the figure got up and raised his arms. He had a flower—a yellow tulip—in one hand, his other empty._ _

__Shownu walked toward the male. “Who,” he started, “are you?”_ _

__No response._ _

__At about 15 yards away, his breath hitched in his throat._ _

__The young man had gray, nearly white-colored skin, a cyan undertone to it. His eyes dark around the corners and his mouth a pastel lavender. His hair—not dirty—seemed styled in a long bowl cut, and of course, stood out because of its pink color. He had on a black oversized hoodie and dark sweats. To Shownu’s surprise, he appeared relatively clean. Even the Vans he wore looked practically new._ _

__“I’m asking again,” Shownu said. “Who are you? Also, what the hell are you doing in my garden, picking and messing with the tulips I planted and have looked after?” he added, enraged at that point._ _

__“Hyungwon,” he heard after a few seconds. _Hyungwon_ cleared his throat and... gulped? The sound that emerged from his mouth sounded like a croak. “I wandered away from my pack and spotted the flowers.” He turned around and Shownu nearly gasped. It seemed that the flesh eater had no intention to run toward him and attack. He'd looked genuinely taken aback when he'd first heard the shout. Shownu became confused. “You’ve done a beautiful job. All the flowers are well tended to and your hard work shows.”_ _

__“What are you?” Shownu heard himself whisper, surprised with himself again, this time over how low his voice sounded._ _

__Hyungwon sat down and sniffed the air. “ _Flesh eater_ ,” he answered, almost matter-of-factly._ _

__“But you’re not attacking me?”_ _

__“I don’t eat _souls_.”_ _

__“Wh-what?” Shownu stuttered, beyond confused at that point. That made no sense._ _

__Hyungwon shifted on the ground and turned his body toward Shownu. He lifted his head to the sky, closed his eyes, and sighed. A few moments ago he had acted so differently, and now? Now, the _flesh eater_ looked amused. A faint smile played on his lips._ _

__“I don’t eat _souls_ ,” he repeated. “My pack and I are not those kinds of monsters. We _are_ monsters,” he clarified, “but we aren’t like the ones you see all over the place. They’ve chosen to lose themselves completely.”_ _

__Shownu felt a headache form. He rubbed his forhead a bit with his free hand. “We?” he finally asked. “You mean there’s more like you?”_ _

__Hyungwon simply nodded._ _

__“How many more?”_ _

__“My pack consists of me and my two good friends. I can bring them here if you-”_ _

__“No!” Shownu shouted and interrupted him. That earned another jolt from Hyungwon. “I mean… Can I go with you to meet them instead?” He couldn’t believe what he'd just said. His mind played a sick game of tug-of-war with itself, part of him wanted desperately to learn more, part of him wanted to run away as far and as fast as possible._ _

__

__

___Ugh, you Gemini!_ he joked to himself. He tried to calm down a bit, his heart raced and he felt a bit dizzy._ _

__The young _flesh eater_ shrugged. "Sure." He spoke in such a nonchalant way, it baffled Shownu. "Do you want to meet here tomorrow? Same time? I can take you to our spot, it’s not that far from here.”_ _

__Shownu knew that _flesh eaters_ stayed near his home. When he traveled out, he'd always stumble upon some. But they just stayed away from him and his small territory._ _

__“On the condition that I can bring my gear with me.”_ _

__Hyungwon shrugged again. “If it makes you feel better, go for it.” He started to get up and Shownu immediately tightened the grip on his gun, his heart felt like it would shoot out of his chest at any moment. Hyungwon raised his hands again and backed up. “I’m leaving now. I will be here tomorrow, and I will come alone. You can bring all your weapons and ammo with you. I… We," he corrected himself, "have no intention of eating you.” And with that, he got up. He turned once more to admire the garden and then continued to walk away. He had a slight limp that wasn't as noticeable as the others, and he walked at a regular pace._ _

__Shownu stood there dazed. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. He stared at the pink-haired _flesh eater_ until he disappeared out of his line of vision. _ _

__He hadn't spoken this much in years! He rarely talked to himself, other than on the special occasion when he felt he wanted to listen to music. He'd bring out the CD player he'd found at an antique store a long time ago. He also owned quite an extensive CD collection because he loved music. Whenever he needed a pick-me-up, he played some of his favorite albums and sang loudly to himself. He didn't do it as often as he desired, if he could, he would do it every day. Unfortunately, he needed to save the last few batteries he had left. Batteries had become a huge demand all over the world._ _

__He took a deep breath and walked to the entrance of his home. He no longer craved carrots, his appetite had been ruined._ _

__*_ _

__That night, Shownu tossed and turned for several hours unable to sleep. His mind flipped through his encounter with the pink-haired _flesh eater_ named Hyungwon. Couldn't get the way his face had been filled with panic, how his voice sounded like a croak, and how he hadn't attacked him immediately, out of his mind. In all the years he had lived and survived on his own, he couldn't have imagined such things. Every single _flesh eater_ he’d come across had had thirst displayed profusely in their dead eyes. They had hungrily run toward him without a word spoken and hadn't appeared terrified._ _

__"I don't eat souls." His mind repeated those words over and over again. How would that even be possible? Could flesh eaters have a soul? Could they be a _soul_ themselves? That sounded unlikely to him, he had so many questions to ask and wanted answers to all of them._ _

___At some point, his body grew tired of thoughts and he managed to fall asleep. He had a long and strange day ahead of him tomorrow. He'd meet up and learn about Hyungwon’s pack very soon._ _ _


End file.
